It's a TRAPgedy
by Shin-Shui
Summary: Sora is coerced into going with Riku to a local club where he meets a beautiful young girl named Kairi. Though initially refusing to befriend the boy, Kairi soon finds herself smitten with the teen as they become friends. When Sora tries to further their relationship, however, Kairi is afraid he'll find out her secret, something she's been running from since childhood.
1. Dawn of a Sunset

**Author's Note:** Well then! Here we are again everyone! It's been a super long time since I tried posting anything (if you don't count the story I just posted yesterday, which was written like 239239239 bajillion years ago, heh...), but I can literally feel the suck :( I'm so out of practice writing anything, but regardless, I've had this story floating around my mind for some time, and I finally got up the motivation to write it. I'm not sure how many chapter's it's going to be, but I'm hoping I can get pretty rapid updates. I'm trying to finish it quickly before I get disheartened and leave it to rot. :( Speaking of which...for anyone reading this and asking about any of my other...many...incomplete...stories...I haven't forgotten about them, nor do I want to abandon them. I suppose I just feel like my writing quality has degraded and I want to make sure I gave a certain amount of respect to each story, by ensuring a constant level of polish. That being said, TL;DR: I hope this can be a reboot to my life, and mark the end of my very long absence. As I get two chapters completed, I'll complete the one I had previously finished. Meaning I'll always have at least 2 chapters to post in case I lose focus or run out of ideas.

I would really super appreciate reviews, ( and views D; ), because I have no idea if you guys would even want to read my stuff anymore! Plus, it's always really endearing seeing someone take the time to send me a thoughtful review no matter if it's good or bad, criticizing or praising. Please, please, please!  
><strong><br>Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the characters contained within. I try to leave a little suspense in my plots, but for sake of simplicity I'll state this story contains elements of shounen-ai/yaoi/boy's love/whatever you want to call it. Basically, 'gay' stuff. If you're not okay with it, this is your warning to take a hike!  
>Enjoy!<p>

* * *

><p>"Come on, Sora. You're seventeen. SE-VEN-TEEN. You're not really a kid anymore."<p>

"But Riku, there's just so many things wrong with that plan..." Sora grumbled, his head slightly crooked as he debated the situation.

Riku sighed, wisps of his silver hair gracefully flowing as he turned to face his friend, "Don't be such a wuss. It's not like you have to drink while you're there. The IDs are just to get us in."

The two boys were currently engaged in a battle of...many things. Tucked neatly into Riku's corner was the aspect of possibly cute girls and feeling good in...various ways. On Sora's side, however, the brunette dared to retort that the club was 21+ and they'd be caught and/or found out as soon as they stepped in the door.

"Wuss? Wow, you're really going easy on me today," Sora smirked at the boy, sticking out his tongue.

Riku peered back over an indiscernible expression, his hands making for the boy's cheeks.

"Wait, Riku, don'-" Sora attempted to jump back as Riku grabbed for his cheeks, his fingers firmly pinching them while his friend carried on.

"I'm not letting go until you say you're going."

"Bah-triku, it's agehnst the laow!" Sora attempted to argue further, despite the hold his friend had on him. He stood for a moment, Riku's grip seeming to get tighter every moment. As his cheeks began to grow sore from the clamps attached to them, he panicked and hesitantly managed to yell out, "Oghkay, leghhgo!"

A positive answer for his cause, Riku smiled and said he would _graciously_ let Sora have his cheeks back.

"Ow, Riku...you didn't have to hurt me just because I said you were going easy on me for once..." Sora sulked, his cheeks red and puffy from the deathgrip Riku had just been holding on him.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. Anyways, my friend Axel should be able to have the IDs for us by the end of the week. Friday night, we strike."

"That rhymed, but it didn't make it any less lame," Sora gave a sidelong glance to his friend, the older boy simply shrugging in return, "Ugh, this is gonna suck."

"Something's going to suck alright," Riku replied, his face a perverted smirk aimed towards Sora.

When Riku decided Sora hadn't given him a proper response, he nudged the boy's shoulders as he whispered, "Get it?"

Sora blushed from the idea as his friend violated his personal space, "Yes, I understood what you were getting at Riku, you perv. Now can we get going?"

"Fine, good enough for me, I guess," his goofy expression dropping to his normal one.

The two boys stepped out of the highschool commons, making their way down towards the open entrance at the end of the path.

"You need a ride?" Riku glanced over to Sora as he broke his stride.

"Nah, I'll be okay," Sora replied, glancing down the road, "I feel like walking."

"Alright, suit yourself, man," Riku nodded as he stepped towards his car, "I know I'll see you tomorrow, but don't forget," he said, his voice beginning to trail off, "Friday night..."

An awkward silence followed, Riku's stare throwing daggers at Sora with every step he took, waiting for a response.

"...we strike," Sora sighed, an exasperated expression on his face as he looked over to Riku.

"Good boy. Have a cookie when you get home," Riku laughed, closing the door as he stepped into his car.

Sora kicked the ground as Riku's engine revved, his mind flooding with thoughts.

"I don't want to go to some stupid club, I'm not even looking for a stupid girlfriend..."

The week passed by uneventfully, Riku casually nudging and grinning at Sora every moment he could, reminding them of their 'date night' on Friday. Sora chagrined, his expression flat as he bore the pain of losing a battle of wits with Riku. The boy's antics were a continual reminder that Sora wanted to kick himself for giving in to viol-

"Ready?" Riku's sudden question snapped Sora out of his reverie, his feet somehow taking him down his sidewalk towards Riku's car.

"Uhm, yeah. I guess so," Sora replied, trying to figure out when exactly his week had passed by so quickly. "Things we like take forever to come, things we hate are here in an instant..." he muttered under his breath.

"I only heard the 'come' part of that, but not in my car, okay?" Riku gave a serious expression to his friend.

"You jackass, Riku," Sora shook his head, laughing, "That's gross."

"I'm serious, it won't come out, and the sm-"

"Riku! Nobody's doing...that...in your car," Sora glanced at his friend who was peering into the door of the car, "...except maybe you, pervert," he narrowed his eyes as his friend looked him up and down.

"I'm taking your word for it..." Riku hesitantly placed his trust into Sora, his door opening and closing as he set himself into the driver's seat, "You ready for Sunset?"

"Why do clubs always have such cheesy names?"

"Probably because by the time you get out, you're too drunk to care where you were?" Riku offered, Sora shaking his head at the thought.

"Either way," Sora replied, his seatbelt clicking into place, "I guess as much as I'll ever be."

"Good," Riku responded, putting the car into drive.

The area around the club was somewhat of a car-filled minefield, Riku frequently driving either which way to avoid a car haphazardly parked on the side of the road.

"Wow, at least they're not as busy as they usually are on a Friday night," Riku nodded, his car swerving in and out of the parked traffic.

"You mean this is their NOT busy," Sora replied in disbelief.

"Yeah, Axel said these roads basically get closed off on days they're super busy."

"Jeez..." Sora muttered, his breath hitching as he thought of the possibility of having to deal with so many people at once.

"Alright, we should be okay here," Riku suddenly stated, his car turning down one of the less busy side-roads.

"They really have this whole block locked down..." Sora mumbled, his body zombie-like as he sluggishly took off his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.

The two boys made their way across the road onto the sidewalk, their trip short-lived as the club's bright neon-orange sign came into view after a few steps.

"Alright, I'm gonna give you your ID here so they don't see us," Riku held out his arm in front of the boy, Sora's legs suddenly stopping as if he'd just hit a red light.

The silver-haired boy fumbled around in his pocket for a few moments before he retrieved his wallet.

"Oh...are you seri-I can't believe..." Riku groaned his eyes wide in panic as he looked over to Sora, "I forgot the IDs."

"Oh my god..that sucks..." Sora feigned sadness, "Oh well, too bad so sad, we really must be going, I believe your car is thatawa-"

Riku grabbed the boy's collar as he turned to storm off, dragging him backwards despite his legs' attempts.

"Just kidding, they're right here," Riku grinned, pulling out two almost plastic cards.

"Damn, I was really hoping you had forgotten them," Sora sighed, grabbing the card with his picture on it.

"Let's go," Riku commanded, his hand giving Sora a...friendly nudge towards the club.

"Alright, alright, pushy..." Sora quickened his pace as Riku had his own, the club not more than a few feet away.

"And we don't even have to wait in line! Lucky us," Riku smiled at Sora, who had less than an enthralled face to look back with.

"IDs," the black-haired man standing at the door asked, looking down at RIku and Sora.

"Sure," Riku responded, handing the man his card.

"O-Okay," Sora answered, his mind suddenly over-analyzing his statement, 'Oh god, I stuttered, he's totally going to think I'm too young because I am and I shouldn't be doing this.'

The man carefully looked at both the cards, giving both Riku and Sora an amused look as his eyebrows rose. A ridiculing confirmation came from the man as he 'approved' the two boys to enter.

"Mmhmmm," his look spelling disbelief in big, bold capital letters. He shook his head at the two boys and shrugged waving them in, "Alright, you can go in. Try not to cause a ruckus," the statement had seemed to be aimed at Riku, but Sora felt the pressure regardless.

"Yes, sir," Riku saluted the man with the card he had just been given back, stepping into the metal doorframe with Sora right behind him.

"Here we go!" Riku elbowed Sora playfully, stepping into the club with his friend.

Sunset's setting was anything but. In place of romantic lighting and breezy ideas, strobe lights and darkness greeted the two boys as they assessed their surroundings. Sora frowned, the dimly-lit arena of people less than his perfect idea of fun.

"See anyone cute yet, Sora?" the slightly older boy glanced around, his eyes searching for any suitable prey in the sea of people.

"Not really..." Sora shrugged, the faces all blurring together in a flash of strobe lighting and writhing bodily movements.

The two continued their path, Riku's movements bringing him closer and closer to the dance floor while Sora managed to slip away towards the bar in thanks to Riku's 'shopping'. He sighed heavily taking a seat, his head slumping down as the bartender walked over.

"Anything I can get you?" a girl in a green crop-top and black short-shorts cheerily asked.

"I guess...a rum and coke, sans the rum?" Sora grinned sheepishly not knowing what to say, "I...uhm...I'm the designated driver," he attempted to add, the woman merely shrugging.

"That's one coke for the DD," she seemed to smirk and laugh a bit under her breath as she stepped away, bringing the boy back his soda.

"Thanks..." Sora trailed off, his eyes averting the woman as he payed and began drinking his drink.

The sight before him was overwhelming. The flashing lights and ever-moving bodies gave way to even more obnoxious music and unpleasantries. Sora glanced around at the few females he could make out in the poor lighting, shaking his head from person to person.

"I don't know why I let Riku bully me into coming," Sora frowned, puffing his cheeks out as he continue his drink.

His chain of thought was suddenly broken when an arm came swinging around his shoulder, gripping his neck tightly as it pulled him.

"Isn't this place great, Sora?" Riku suddenly appeared, his face much too close to Sora's for any sort of comfort, "I was over there talking to a girl and her friend that're both pretty hot. Wanna join me?"

The brunette looked at his friend who was smirking back, the faint smell of alcohol drifting towards him making him scrunch his nose.

"I swear, I've only had like a half a drink...and then two more," Riku burst out laughing, gripping Sora's neck tighter, "come on man, it'll be more fun if you're talking to someone cute. Well, cuter than me at least," he winked at the brunette and let go, his arm wobbling towards his side as he stepped back from the boy, "I won't make you, but you won't regret it~" Riku said in a sing-song voice, the pitch trailing off as he stepped back into the crowds movements.

"Geeze, we're here less than like, 20 minutes and Riku's already talking to someone," Sora groaned, rubbing his neck lightly from Riku's violent tendencies, "Then again, that's probably not a bad thing. But still..." he stopped rubbing his neck, a girl a short way from him catching his eye.

The girl had unknowingly glanced towards the boy as he inspected her, their eyes meeting for a moment before she seemed to nervously jump, her eyes darting away almost instantly. Sora glanced at the red hair slightly covering the girl's features as she fidgeted in place, her face striking a memory deep within Sora.

"She looks so familiar..." Sora whispered out loud, trying to recall where he knew the girl from.

"Hey, DD," the bartender reached an arm across the bar to Sora, a nametag that had suddenly appeared spelling out "Yuffie" , that assumed she had put on only because he saw somebody that looked like her boss talking to her, "she's cute. Go talk to her," Yuffie nudged the boy, pushing him slightly out of his seat as he stood up.

"Uhm, okay," he nervously responded, nodding as his body unwillingly made its way over to the girl.

The girl noticed Sora making his way over and looked around, possibly for an escape route. Alas, he suddenly stood in front of her, scrambling to think of a normal greeting.

"Uh, hey there," he waved slightly, his voice cracking a tiny bit as he tried to stand up straight.

"Uhm, hi..." the girl responded equally nervously, her thumbs fraying the ends of her dress as she toyed with it.

The two glanced at one another, not knowing where to continue the conversation. Just as the red-haired girl turned to seemingly leave, Sora managed to ask, "You seem really familiar to me, do we know each other at all?" he scratched his head as he gave a weak smile to the girl, unsure of exactly what to say.

The girl's eyes suddenly went wide, her head rapidly turning back to the boy standing next to her. She was quiet for a moment and then stammered, offering an explanation, "U-uhm, well...I...I just transferred in to the school here and I think we might have had an elective together before I switched them?" she was seemingly confused herself.

Sora bit his lip, "Actually..." he replied, thinking, "that sounds about right," he pounded his fist into his hand like a gavel, "No wonder you look familiar then."

The girl heaved a sigh, something clearing her worry, "Sorry, I just thought you might have..." she trailed off, shaking her head and restating, "I was just worried you might have told someone I was underage," she weakly smiled.

"That'd probably get us both in trouble anyways," Sora attempted a laugh, the girl's smile slightly widening, "So, uh...what dazzling reason do you find yourself blinded by Sunset?" Sora smirked slightly, internally laughing at his own bad pun.

"That was such a bad pun," she laughed cutely, Sora's cheeks brightening a tiny bit, "I actually came here with my friend. She's two years older than us though, so you probably wouldn't recognize her," she offered.

"Sounds kind of like my situation. I came here because my friend Riku forced me into it. You might know him, he's only a year ahead of us."

"Does he have silver hair?" the girl suddenly asked.

"Yeah! You know him?" Sora responded, surprised.

"No, but...somebody bold like that would definitely match the description of the guy I saw talking to my friend over there," she answered, her hand raising as she pointed to the spectacle.

Sora followed her hand as it pointed to his friend, who was extremely close to a girl's face at the moment, "Oh jeeze..." Sora shook his head, "Sorry about that..."

"It's okay. I kind of got ditched too. She said she'd seen another friend of hers and she'd be right back to hang out with me. That was like, an hour ago," she frowned, her cheeks slightly pushed out as she pouted unknowingly.

"Oh jeeze," Sora suddenly turned to the girl, "that must seriously suck," he shook his head in condolence for the girl, "What are they good for?" he laughed a little.

"Tell me about it," she replied, her own smile appearing once again.

"I don't wanna be weird or anything, but your smile is beautiful," Sora complimented the girl, embarrassed as his eyes darted around.

The girl suddenly became flustered, her face red as she attempted to respond, "Uhm, that's...I mean...I..." she seemed to realize something, "oh my gosh. I didn't even give you my name. I'm..ergh, I'm Kairi," she attempted to hold out her hand to shake Sora's, her face still stinging from the flattery.

"I'm Sora," he gave the girl a goofy smile, grabbing her hand and shaking it, "So if I can intrude a little, why did you switch out of that class. It was home-ec if I'm right, right?" Sora's hand made its way up to his chin as he scratched it, looking around in the air for answers. His cooking ability was questionable at best, but the prospect of free food was too good for him to pass up.

"I...I guess I'm just not good at cooking?" she answered, seemingly unsure once again.

"Me either," Sora replied hopelessly unaware, "I just wanted the free food," he gave another small smile.

"That sounds like you, Sora," she laughed a little bit with the boy.

"I don't wanna be too forward or ask something weird or anything, but would you want to...hang out or something one day?" the sudden confession embarrassing him, his face turning red as he suddenly looked into the girl's eyes.

"Ah!" the girl gasped, clearly not expecting the proposal, "I...I don't date."

Sora felt his stomach churn a bit as the girl responded to him, his mind flipping at the rejection, "Parents real strict?" he hopelessly offered, his discomfort turning to sickness.

"No, it's not them...I just...don't date," the girl replied.

Sora hung his head low, the sudden rejection and humiliation bringing his self-esteem lower than it had ever been.

"But!" the girl tapped the boy on the shoulder, "I mean, we could...hang out as, like, friends," she tried to smile broadly for the brunette, but she could only muster a tiny amount of assurance.

"That'd be nice," Sora's stomach settled a little, his heart still a little wounded at the utter rejection, 'That sucks...she's really cute and I was really hoping we could go on a date...'

The two exchanged phone numbers just as their friends stumbled their ways over.

"Hey there," Riku gestured to Sora, "who's the cutie?" he continued, eyeing up the red-head.

"Men are pigs..." the girl standing next to him with brown hair elbowed him, "Though your friend isn't bad..." she winked at Sora.

Sora and Kairi gave each other a glance and held their respective friend's hand through the club's doors. They shared the same thought as they parted ways: their friends were both morons.

* * *

><p><em>My heart began its beating the moment I first saw you.<br>_


	2. Digital Emotion

**Author's Note: **Welp, here's Chapter 2 already! Like I said in C1, I don't want to delay releasing chapters, just in case I lose inspiration or something. That being said, I'm glad that I got a review! And I also saw a few of you add it to your alert list 3 Thank you, it really means a lot.  
>With that, I present to you your dislcaimer, and Chapter 2.<br>**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts and the characters contained within this story are owned by Square Enix. I don't own them! There is also a further disclaimer in Chapter 1, so if you missed it, I suggest going back to read it! (Though I'll give you another one when that content is showing up.)  
>Enjoy, everyone!<p>

* * *

><p>The rest of Sora's weekend passed by without much excitement. Or at least, that's what he wanted to believe. The youthful brown-haired boy awoke surprisingly early the next morning, even by his normal viewpoint of early; if he had his way, school would begin at a loose ten o'clock every morning and end promptly at three, regardless of any extraneous duties he had to perform. He often reasoned, with himself mostly, that anything he needed to accomplish at school he could get done in those 5 <em>extremely<em> dedicated hours he was willing to put in. Regardless, he sat up in bed looking at the obnoxious red coloring of the 8 blinding his eyes on his alarm clock.

"Eight in the morning?" he grumbled, falling back down to his pillows.

Since he had parted ways with her, he hadn't had much time to think of the girl he'd met last night, Kairi. He'd spent most of his time after they parted ways attempting to get Riku home and in his bed safely after his silver-haired friend heaved a good portion of his stomach's contents out the window in the middle of driving. Sora promptly swapped seats and drove the rest of the way home. He'd decided to walk home and leave Riku's car at his house, but that meant a 10-minute walk back to his own. He vaguely remembered an odd feeling he'd had as he tried to think about the girl, but his feet had carried him to his house before he knew it. He promptly headed upstairs and collapsed into bed, his body accepting the gracious offer of a comfortable rest.

He glanced over at his cell phone, lifting himself up a bit and grabbing it in one swift motion, attempting to unlock it. The small piece of technology refused to light up, and Sora grumbled.

"Oh no! It died in the midst of the night! But what if she texted me?!" he mocked himself, holding the phone daintily against his forehead as he deflated back onto his pillows, "That's really not how things work though..." he trailed off, giving up on the device and letting it fall freely from his hand onto the bed.

He stared at the star-fruit stickers that were plastered all over his ceiling from when he was small. The local name for the breed was Paopu, and it was apparently created right in Twilight Town a few decades ago. Ever since, it had become somewhat of a cultural icon for the area, thanks in part to their easy growth on Destiny Islands. Sora fondly remembered picking out the stickers with-

He shot up, shaking his head to clear his mind, "I guess I'll go take a shower..." he moaned, wishing he'd had his phone for some music to listen to.

He emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around himself, taking a look once more at his phone. Happy enough with the bar showing half a charge, he unplugged it and turned it on. He tossed it onto his mattress while its familiar start-up tones and advertisements appeared, his towel dropping as he pulled out some clothes to put on.

"I wonder if she really would be up to hanging out today," Sora mused to himself, slipping red and black shorts on over the fresh pair of dark blue boxers.

Satisfied with his clothing for the moment, Sora turned away from his dressers and launched his bare-chested self onto his bed, attempting a turn in mid-air.

"Ten points all across! The crowd goes wild!" he joked cheerfully to himself, grabbing his prize as he slid his finger around the screen to unlock it, "Then again," he began, noting the 0 messages he had waiting for him, "I am pretty lame," he shook his head at his antics mere moments ago. "Well, here goes nothing," the brunette said hopefully, scrolling down to the contact 'Kairi' and beginning a text message.

'Hey, wanna do something?' Sora asked coherently, attempting to avoid chat speak.

"Gotta talk smart-like, Sora. Ladies don't like a dumb dude," he gave himself another stupid smirk, shaking his head as the message gave confirmation it was sending through the air. Satisfied with his attempt, he rolled off the bed to his feet, maliciously attacking his dresser as he looked for a shirt to wear.

'Hey, wanna do something?' the message came all too soon. Kairi wasn't expecting it to be the day after they had met. Or...well...she didn't know how to put it. Regardless, it wasn't something she expected of the beautiful chocolate boy she'd been talking to the previous night.

"Hey, sis..." she began, wrapping her towel tightly around her abdomen as she stepped into the girl's room.

"Hey, what's up R-" she stopped herself, looking at her sibling standing in the doorway to her bedroom, "You look ridiculous," she laughed, the younger sibling's face becoming red as her sister ridiculed her after-shower look.

"Aren't you really overdoing it?" she pointed to the towel wrapped around Kairi's head, her expression finding immense amusement as she continued down to the pink slippers her sibling was wearing, "That's a little much, even for you."

"Listen, jerk," Kairi embarrassingly turned her head away from the girl, momentarily forgetting why she had subjected herself to this, "shut up," she stuck her tongue out, suddenly remembering what she had been doing. "Look!" she held out the phone for the girl to see clearly what had been written, and from who.

"Oh my god, Sora? Is that the boy that you-"

"That's not the point, Namine," Kairi shook her head, her hand going to her forehead in annoyance, "I want to be friends with him, but he was kind of hitting on me last night, and I don't know if I should hang out with him so soon or not."

"As long as you're honest with him, I don't see what the problem is," the girl responded seemingly uninterested, turning back to face her magazine as she lazily flipped the pages.

"You don't see-honest with-are you even listening to yourself?" Kairi stomped her slippered foot onto the floor as she grew mad, her sister laughing a little bit as she rose, going over to stand next to her.

"I know, it's a whole mess, but...as long as you make sure he understands you're just friends, what could be the harm in it? I mean, it's not your fault there was a big misunderstanding. It was circumstance," she grabbed her sibling by the arms, pulling her in for a hug, "But seriously. Tone it down a little?" she let go of Kairi, her hands cupping an invisible area on the girl's chest as she moved them up and down for effect.

Kairi swatted her away and stormed off to her room, hesitantly thanking the girl with a yell, "THANKS...I guess," she sighed, her towel tightly pressed against her body, her own hands making the same gestures her sister just had, "Maybe she's right..." Kairi thought aloud, her free hand pulling the towel wrap off her head while the other went about starting a text message.

'What did you have in mind?' was the message she finally decided to send out, hoping it sounded more friendly than flirty.

It was already ten by the time Kairi's message was delivered to Sora. He had just been in the midst of his second bowl of cereal, a tame breakfast for his weekend habits. He'd only noticed the screen's backlight suddenly on a moment before it shut off again, grabbing it from across the table and once again unlocking it.

"Riku musta woke up wondering how I managed to get him home alive," Sora reasoned, nonchalantly chewing on the cereal he'd poured.

His complete devouring of the food slowed to all but a halt as he opened up his messages and saw who his new text was from. A smile crept onto his face that he couldn't help but show, rapidly tapping away at the screen as he thought up something to do.

'Mall? I figure there must be something there we'd both destroy,' the text message gave its confirmation as it was marked sent. He'd only noticed his mistake after the fact, quickly sending a second text to amend it, 'enjoy* omg, the phone auto-corrected it, sorry.'

Kairi sat fixing her hair, her phone located next to her as she brushed it through, placing bobby pins to pin it off to the right like she usually had it whenever she wasn't at school. The sudden noise of vibration made her instinctively reach for her phone, quickly unlocking it and reading the message.

'lol, you're still funny, Sora. Sounds good. Call me when you're leaving and I'll give you my address.' Kairi sent the message away, re-reading it as the 'Sent' confirmation disappeared, her eyes widening.

"You're _still_ funny, Sora?" the boy questioned, unsure of whether or not a sudden character transformation overnight was a legitimate concern of Kairi's or not.

'sorta* Auto-correct got me too ;P' another message came through, forcing him out his thoughts.

"Duh, I'm so stupid sometimes," he snapped out of his daydreams, grabbing the keys to his car-on-loan waiting outside. He never really needed a car to use for school, since Riku always drove him, but his parents told him whenever he felt like taking a ride somewhere he could borrow their second car. This was one of the very few times he actually took them up on that offer.

As he started the car and buckled himself in, Sora saw himself visibly smiling in the mirror. He gave a little laugh at how much of a kid he was being, but he regained composure long enough to make a call to Kairi, asking the girl where he could pick her up at. She answered curtly, and, with his destination confirmed, Sora pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road.

* * *

><p><em>It all started between us such a long time ago.<br>_

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. A little awkward maybe, I don't know. ! I hope it's well-received though, and SERIOUSLY. Any rating/reviewing/favoriting means a lot to me. :) Until Chapter 3!~


	3. Mall of Illusions

**Author's Note: **Well then! Here we are at Chapter 3! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and I super hope a lot more people read and enjoy it! I'm not the type to hold chapters hostage for reviews, but I would really **really** appreciate if any of you could take a minute to tell me how you feel about the story! I haven't written anything in a while, so feedback would really help. :) That being said, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix, not mine! As mentioned before, this story is also going to include certain elements that some might not want to read/find objectionable/whatever else. Chapter 1 has more details, but basically...don't like it, don't read it! :P On to the story!

* * *

><p>The seemingly unlikely couple, at least in Kairi's wishes, pulled up to the Fading Daylight Mall Plaza, a host of tall buildings obstructing the bright sunlight radiating down from the sky. Being a Saturday, the mall was somewhat packed, though not nearly as much as it was around holiday season. Sora parked the car precariously into a spot somewhat distant from other cars, breathing a sigh of relief as he turned the car's engine off.<p>

"People. Are. Insane." he turned to face the red-headed girl sitting beside him, his eyes pleading for confirmation that the many near-death experiences they faced weren't his own fault.

"They are pretty awful," Kairi giggled slightly, her hand covering her mouth as it grew with a small smile.

Sora noticed himself unconsciously watching the girl, growing self-conscious as the action embarrassed him.

"Ah, uhm...your chariot has arrived, my princess," Sora stated heroically dashing out of his door to the other side of the car, pulling it open with much ado.

"Princess?" Kairi gave him a serious look, "Well don't I feel special," she couldn't help but smile at the boy's antics once more, gently taking her skirt between her pointer fingers and thumbs to curtsy as she stood up, "Thank you, valiant knight."

Sora stood stoically waiting for the 'princess' to begin walking towards the mall, carefully shutting the door behind her as he joined her stride.

"I was really glad you texted me back this morning," Sora beamed, his eyes shining in the brilliant sunlight, "I know you said no funny business," Kairi laughed at this, "But you really seem like a cool person to know."

"Thanks, Sora," Kairi found herself smiling once again, unable to control the happy feeling the boy walking alongside her was giving her, "You're a gem yourself."

"Gem? Are you trying to call my flamboyant and showy?" Sora whined, pawing at the girls arms with flailing hands.

"Well I mean look at yourself," she smirked, swatting the boy's hands away, "Besides, are those the worst descriptive terms you can think of?"

Sora stopped for a second, seriously contemplating the question, "Well, no, probably not at all, but I dunno. There's all the stereo types of girls wanting a macho guy, HRRRRGHHH," he groaned out, attempting to pose and flex at the same time, almost losing his balance in the process.

Kairi smacked the boy on his back to hurry him along, laughing at his antics the whole walk into the mall.

'It seems so normal...hanging out with him like this...'

The duo stepped into the sprawling mall, heading first to the information kiosk by the benches that had a handy reference map posted.

"I haven't been here in a while," Sora noted, scouring over the map of the area, "OH MAN!" he whined, pawing at the dimly-light plastic screen much as he had Kairi's arm only moments ago, "They got rid of one of my favorite stores..."

"Oh? What was it?"

Sora shot up, his hair seemingly sticking up moreso than usual as he began to nervously respond, "Uhm, you know, like...video games and stuff."

"Are you talking about Paopu Products?"

The name seemed to strike a chord in Sora as he began to slide down the plastic kiosk in defeat, "How did you know?" he smashed his hand gently into the kiosk repeatedly, sobbing aloud with each motion for effect.

"It was one of my favorite places, too. They had all sorts of great skin, nail and hair care products. It didn't close down, though. They just moved to online only because they said it was more cost-effective that way, plus they said their products could get out to more people."

"Wow, you're really in the know," Sora stood up, dusting himself off as he looked at the girl in amazement.

"Well, uhm..." Kairi suddenly blushed, Sora's eyes making her uncomfortable, "I have really sensitive skin and their products worked really well for me," she waved her hands in defense.

'That's only half a lie...' she thought, continuing the motion.

"Anyways, though," Sora said, clearing his throat as he smashed his fist into his open palm, "They're really expensive so I never got to buy much," he nodded his head at the statement.

"I'm guessing it's one of their gels that gives your hair its gravity-defying look, right?" Kairi teased the boy, making him blush a little.

"S-So what? It's my trademark look," he responded, looking down as his shoe swung back and forth scuffing the tile.

"I know, I u-" Kairi suddenly shook her head, "I just know a lot about their products," she affirmed, nodding.

"So what do you want to do first?" Sora threw his arm behind his head, nervously scratching his neck unsure of where to go.

'So he still does that when he's indecisive...'

"Food court? I forgot to eat breakfast this morning," Kairi gave a half-innocent smile as she held out her arms in an 'oops' manner.

"I'm always up for food!" Sora grabbed the girl's hand, rushing to the giant location on the sign marked 'FOOD COURT'.

The two arrived in the slightly enclosed area in what felt like milliseconds to Kairi.

"You must really love your food," Kairi offered, her head reeling as she dusted herself off.

"Of course! People need food to live! AND I WANT TO LIVEEEEEE!" Sora cried out melodramatically, soliciting a few intrigued glances from the mall-goers around them, "Sorry," he chuckled quietly as his face tinged red.

"I don't think we need food quite that much, but I guess I get where you're going with it, Sora," Kairi patted the boy on the shoulder, making her way over to the smoothie shop, Paopu Pulps.

"I know we're known for Paopu fruits, but didn't anyone ever think naming EVERYTHING around here after them was a little...dumb?" Sora asked, seemingly to no one but himself.

"It's kind of a cute name, I think," Kairi answered in response, exchanging the munny she was holding for the smoothie offered to her.

Sora had already gone and grabbed a slice of pizza with garlic knots, 2 tacos from the nearby Mexican Taco vendor, an extremely decadent and large cinnamon bun, and a diet coke from the nearby vending machine, because, as he explained it, he didn't want to get fat.

"Are you a vegetarian?" Sora suddenly asked, becoming self-aware of his food choice as he inhaled the tacos laying before him.

"No, I just try to eat healthy. My parents aren't around a lot to make many home made meals, so whenever I buy something I like to try and make sure it's fresh or healthy."

"That sounds lame," Sora thought for a moment, before correcting his statement, "I mean to say, it stinks that your family isn't around much. I kind of understand, though. My mom is busy with work and my dad...isn't around."

"Do you mind my asking?" Kairi said, her eyes focused on Sora as she sipped her smoothie.

"Not really, it's just...there's not much to say. He wasn't there much when I was a kid, and then after I-" he recalled something for a moment before changing his wording, "And then he left one day."

Kairi noted the sad, distant look in Sora's eyes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"It's alright, it's not even him I'm..." Sora trailed off, apparently losing his train of thought in whatever daydream he was having.

The two shared a silence as they finished their meal, Sora somehow finishing his eclectic array of food slightly before Kairi finished her smoothie.

"That was good," Sora grinned dumbly, having clearly enjoyed his meal.

"You're something else, Sora," Kairi playfully hit the boy, offering him a stick of paopu-gum for what she knew would be bad breath.

He graciously accepted, blowing small bubbles as they continued their walk down the mall's pathway, looking for a store to head into.

"What about here?" Kairi pointed to the local game store, noting the sale signs on the windows.

"Video games?" Sora gave Kairi an 'are-you-joking-or-for-real' look out of the side of his eyes.

"Believe it or not, Mr. Heroic and Valiant Knight, I just so happen to enjoy video games."

"Nope. Girls hate video games. Everybody knows that," Sora shook his head unwilling to listen.

"Not ALL girls..." Kairi said, apparently wanting to add something, but instead skipping her way into the store.

The two looked around for a short while, nothing of interest catching their eye as they looked around the store.

"So, Miss Princess Secret Video-Game Fan," Sora exaggerated each of the words of Kairi's made-up title, "What games do you like, since you're a fan?"

"It really depends. My parents aren't rich or anything, but I have most of the different consoles because that's usually the type of present I ask for. I'll play anything that seems intriguing to me, though."

Sora seemed dumbfounded at the statement, not because Kairi's gender actually made him want to dictate habits for her, but instead because even Riku would make fun of him for trying to talk about video games.

"Then, my Princess, I decree I REALLY WANT TO HANG OUT AT YOUR HOUSE SOMEDAY," Sora began whining as he dropped to his knees, suddenly clawing at the girl's skirt.

Kairi uncomfortably stepped back a little, managing a small smile, "Maybe next weekend, Sora," she pet the boy's head like a dog would be, earning an excited head shake from the boy.

'Maybe...'

The two perused a tiny bit more, growing bored of the store and heading out into the mall's pathways once more.

"A jewelry store..." Kairi mumbled to herself not really intending for Sora to hear.

"You want to check in?" Sora replied, turning into the small glass door as he opened it.

"Ah!..." Kairi gasped, not realizing she had spoken aloud.

'Not really my thing, but...'

She stepped into the doorway, looking around the various jewelry posts scattered throughout the floor. Different oddities lined the back of the store, while small glass cases held intricate necklaces and other valuable looking pieces. The store clerk, a slightly older woman, probably early 30s, gushed as the two entered the store, complimenting them, "Oh my, aren't you a cute couple," she held her hands to her face and shook herself back and forth.

"We're not a couple, ma'am," Sora corrected her, apologetically, "We're just friends."

"What a shame, you two would be lovely together!" she continued, smiling at the two broadly.

'That's an interesting theory...' Kairi gazed off at a random piece of jewelry, not quite sure of what she was looking at, but trying to escape the store clerk's ramblings.

"Hey, we should get something for one another!" Sora suddenly stated, nudging Kairi's arm.

"Wh-What?" Kairi reeled back, rubbing her arm.

"You know, like...friendship bracelets or something! I'd like to think we're new besties..." Sora smiled broadly at his friend, his face suddenly contorting in pain as he sobbed, "Unless...I knew it...the pretty girls just want to make fun of me!" he looked as though he would collapse, a pathetic sight in all, but one that made Kairi smile all the same.

"Okay, okay. Get off the floor, Sora," she smiled, giving the boy a hand as he pulled himself off the floor.

The two scoured the small little shop for a present, not quite sure what the other would enjoy. Sora asked the girl to close her eyes for a moment while he bought her present. Kairi, in turn, asked Sora to wait outside while she got hers.

'What am I doing...?'

The red-head stepped outside the store with a small 'ding' of the automatic bell. Sora attentively walked over to her and smiled broadly, holding his hands behind his back.

"Alright, now, I want you to close your eyes for me while I get your present out," Sora commanded, but Kairi had a far-off look in her eyes.

"Listen, Sora...I need to te-"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Sora obnoxiously put his finger in front of his mouth and shushed the girl, "I'm trying to make a show of my present?" he said sarcastically as a question, his smile never fading, "Let me just give you yours and then you can say whatever," Sora looked to be pleading with his eyes, but his smile just seemed to say 'You know you want to anyways' to Kairi.

"...Alright, Sora," Kairi hesitantly closed her eyes, hearing the boy ruffle around a bag.

She could feel his touch on her neck as he lifted her hair, gently pushing it off to the side. Lost in his touch, and surprisingly soft hands, Kairi didn't even think about what he might have gotten for her.

"Annnnnnnd open!" Sora shouted triumphantly, once again in front of Kairi.

The girl opened her eyes and pushed her hair back into place, her fingers brushing into something metal as they swept the hair away. She followed the metal feeling along a chain, both of her hands now anxiously awaiting to see where the chain ended. As her hands clasped, she felt a slightly rigid object in between her fingers that caused her to look down. In her hands, Kairi held a small but beautifully crafted silver crown, its points separated by two almost circles. The chain itself attached to the largest of the three points, its silhouette falling perfectly on to her chest.

"Sora, I...it's..." Kairi was genuinely speechless.

"I figured...I keep calling you a princess, and all princesses need a crown, so..." the boy blushed slightly at his female companion's shock.

'I'm not much for jewelry, but he really...'

Kairi suddenly became very flustered.

"So what were you saying? You needed something?"

"Ah, uhm, no. I'm okay. We should probably head home soon though. I don't wanna be out too late."

The sudden change of attitude seemed a bit strange to Sora, but he agreed regardless not wanting his new friend to feel uncomfortable.

"Alright, we can head home if you want," Sora nodded, giving the girl a smile as he began walking back towards the entrance.

'I-I'm sorry, Sora...' Kairi thought to herself as she gripped the small white bag she was carrying behind her back, out of Sora's vision. She carefully slipped it into the small purse she had hanging off to her side while he was distracted, not knowing what else to do with it.

The ride home was a little less fun and exciting than the rest of their day, and Sora couldn't help but feel it was related to Kairi's sudden mood change in the mall. Not wanting to pry, however, Sora drove on in silence, not even daring to turn on the radio and make things worse.

Stopping the car, Kairi stepped out at her house, the boy waving goodbye and telling her they should definitely see each other again soon. Kairi silently grabbed at the necklace Sora had given her, holding it with a sad look before she nodded slightly and rushed into her house.

Sora made his way home, feeling no better than he had the previous night with Riku.

"I really hope I didn't do anything to upset her..." he said, her sudden mood change still bugging him, "I probably should've just dropped it after she seemed like she didn't want to go in to the Jeweler's..." Sora scorned himself, tossing himself onto his bed much in the same manner as he had that morning. One thing was for sure. Kairi and him would most likely not be spending time together next weekend.

* * *

><p><em>You were so beautiful, and I acted so nonchalant...<br>__Even knowing all the mistakes I was making.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Well then! Why the sudden spook by Kairi? Comment/Rate/Review/READ ON! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and be on the look out for Chapter 4 soon!_  
><em>


	4. Time Heals Some Wounds

**Author's Note**: Well then! Here we are again. Right back where we started. Remember when you tried to-Oh. Never mind. That's not what we're talking about here, and that's another copyright I'm going to have to deal with ;_;. *Ahem* So we're back with Chapter 4 guys and gals. I'm glad to see people favoriting and liking and the like, it's really encouraging. I'm thinking about it a lot, and...I didn't give quite an accurate description of the story's plot, though I have given several disclaimers. I just want to announce the story will be entering a rocky stage for some people right now. I hate to spoil major surprises in the description, so bear with me, but if you suddenly find yourself disinterested in the story because of that, I won't necessarily blame you, but I won't feel bad. I've run into the same problem before, and, though I was wrong at the time because of the topic at hand (which I admitted to), this story doesn't come anywhere close on the moral meter, if you will.

That being said: **tl;dr** - if you find yourself coming to a sudden realization after this chapter, I'm sorry if you don't like it or weren't expecting it. But I hope you'll read on regardless. It also looks like the story will end around Chapter 13-14 from what I understand, so keep me held to that word!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Come on, guys, we've been through this. Also that song I was singing up top isn't mine either. You know the one...

**Secondary Disclaimer:** SERIOUSLY PEEPS. GO BACK AND READ THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE OR THE BEGINNING DISCLAIMERS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. I don't want anyone to be upset. :(

* * *

><p>"It's not natural, Aerith! Those...need to..." an angry man emphatically gestured, his brown-haired wife's kind smile hiding hints of tiredness and exhaustion at the point her husband was trying to make.<p>

"Leon, they're...boys...will be..." a nine year-old listened intently through his room's floor, his eyes growing sad and heavy with tears.

"Boys will be boys?!" the man shouted, giving Sora a clear hearing of the words, "It's not...they're...and you..." the man's points rambled on, a less-than-pleased tone to his words.

"But he's...son...love..." the wife countered in her gentle-but-stubborn manner.

"So just because...son...GAY?!" his last word seemed shouted, Sora lifting his head off the floor as his ear rung.

"Gay?" Sora grumbled, rubbing his ear as he thought about the word, "Some of the bigger kids use that word. I wonder what it means," the innocent boy contemplated it for a moment, unsure of what was making his father so upset.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[X-X-X-X-X]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sora awoke with a start, his body feeling as though it were falling down to his bed from the ceiling. He felt slightly damp with sweat, swinging his legs out of bed as he leaned his head down into his hands. He looked at his alarm clock before heading downstairs, hoping he would get to see his mom.

"Mom?" he called down the stairs, sleepily wiping his eyes as he trod down each step.

"In here, honey," a small but kind voice called to the boy from the living room, making Sora immediately turn to his right as he finished his descent.

Their house wasn't gigantic, but since his father had had a decent job, Sora remembered his mom telling him how they saved up all their money and put as much down as they could, paying their debt off right around the time she'd become pregnant with Sora. She lovingly referred to him as her house-warming present because after he was born, she always told him how full of life and warmth their house felt.

"Hey mom," Sora greeted the woman, giving her a small smile as he passed behind the couch.

She lifted her head up towards him slightly as he lowered his own, giving the woman a small kiss on the cheek as she did the same to him, "Hi honey, how was your day today?"

"Oh, you know...party after party with me!" the boy joked, a smile on his face that was seemingly out of place with the sad eyes he wore.

"What's wrong, dear?" the woman questioned almost immediately.

"It's...nothing," he tried a smile again, closing his eyes briefly as he did so to make it appear more genuine.

The woman lovingly set her feet down from the sofa as she gestured for the boy to sit with her. She adjusted her position to match the pillow she was laying her head on, and suddenly stated as the TV continued to flicker, "Did you know the Ostrich lays the largest eggs of any land animal?" the woman looked to her son seriously, "Yup. Saw it here on Nat Geo just a bit ago," the woman nodded in affirmation before suddenly laughing with her son, the boy's smile no longer hindered by sad eyes.

"You always know just what to say, mom," Sora brightly smiled at his mother, unsure of how she always knew how he was feeling.

"It's a mother's job to know these things," she replied simply, returning his smile, "So what has you down?"

"I just...remember that day I asked to have a talk with you?"

"You mean when you were younger?" the woman replied, nodding.

"Yeah..." he spoke quietly, the two drifting off into a memory.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[X-X-X-X-X]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"Mommy..." the young Sora began, tugging at his mother's dress, "what's gay mean?"

The woman's eyes opened widely as she looked away from the dishes she'd been washing. As she stared into the front yard, she turned off the faucet and dried her hands, taking her son's hand in her own as she led them to the living room.

"Gay? Where did you hear that word?" the woman began, testing the waters of the conversation.

"I heard dad saying it to you the other night. He seemed really upset about whatever it meant," the young boy swung his feet back and forth as he sat on the sofa, his mother contemplating what to say.

"Gay is...it's a term..." she attempted to explain, unsure of how to explain the word to someone she thought wouldn't fully understand the word, "I don't know, Sora, it's not a bad thing but I think it's a little hard for a 9-"

"Almost 10!" the boy interrupted her puffing out his cheeks.

"I think it's hard to explain what it really means."

"I've heard bigger kids use it, before, but it always sounds really negative when they use it, like when daddy did. Is it a bad word?" he looked up at her.

"No, no," she waved her arms at him, "it's nothing like that. It's not bad at all, it's just...some people don't accept it. To simply put it, it's when a boy such as yourself likes another boy, that's not family."

The thought resonated a bit with Sora. There was his best friend, Roxas, who he loved more than anything else in the world. But he couldn't see why that would be a problem for people. Adults had best friends, right? They spent their whole lives together, so why couldn't Sora spend his with Roxas?

"So...daddy doesn't like that I love Roxas?" Sora frowned, his eyes sad as he continued to look at his mother.

"Daddy has a hard time understanding things sometimes," the woman gave a sad smile, looking away from her son to the living room window.

"Cuz I wanna spend forever and ever with Roxas, he's my best friend! I love him!" Sora pouted, small tears dripping down his cheeks, "Does daddy hate me?"

The kind-hearted woman wrapped her arms around her son, pulling him in closely to her warmth, "Of course not, Sora! He's just...worried, I guess," the woman's face seemed to be contemplative as she held back a thought, pulling her son in closer to her, "You run along and play with whoever you want, okay?" the woman brushed the wet streaks from her son's cheeks, patting him to stand up as she headed back into the kitchen.

"I love you, Sora," the woman smiled as he headed out the front door.

"I love you too, mommy, forever 'n' ever!" he smiled brightly back, closing the door as he rushed off to find his friend.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[X-X-X-X-X]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"You were so young, I didn't know what to say to you," the woman fondly remembered her young son, happy memories of days she could spend just freely playing with him.

"Yeah...I still..." the older Sora thought about the memories, sadness overtaking his features once more.

"None of it was your fault, you know," the woman said sitting up and resting a hand on his shoulder, "I never want you to blame yourself for it."

"I know mom, it's just..." he trailed off, a bad habit he'd been having lately.

He thought about what he wanted to say, but he couldn't figure out how to get it out.

"I took the car today," he stated, beginning his explanation.

"Oh? That's rare, but it's not like I need two cars," she joked, "Your father and I always told you when you grew up and could drive we'd let you use it whenever. Nothing's changed because he left."

The words stung him every time they were said. He didn't blame himself, really. His father had left years after that happened. But something about the pain his childish antics had brought his mother because of his father didn't sit well with Sora. He'd always felt as though, even in the most innocent of ways, he'd contributed.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[X-X-X-X-X]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"So I'm going to be the bride, and you'll be the groom," Roxas stated, sliding bobby pins into his hair as he held his toilet paper bouquet.

"Why do only girls and boys get married?" Sora pondered, fixing his 'Sunday best' t-shirt and shorts, "Don't people want to spend forever with their friends? Grown-ups are so confusing," Sora continued, walking up next to his 'bride'.

"Do you know how these things work?" the shy blonde asked, looking around at the make-shift crowd of stuffed animals sitting on sand benches.

"I think they say some stuff and then we put our lips together and we're together forever!" Sora replied enthusiastically, eager to spend forever with his best friend.

"So do you want to kiss your bride?" Roxas blushed, embarrassed for some unknown reason, "I even got dressed up in my best jewelry for you!" the young boy pointed to the pins parting his hair off to the right.

"It's not a kiss!" Sora argued, not wanting to be construed as that 'g' word he'd heard, "It's a deal between us to be together forever!" he nodded, completely disregarding the actual similarities between the two.

"Then here goes..." the young blonde closed his eyes, pushing his face towards his friend's.

Sora responded in turn, their lips barely meeting before a loud voice began to call, "SORA?! What are you doing?!" an angry Leon came and grabbed his son, "We're leaving right now!" he dragged the boy away, leaving his 'bride' at the altar.

"Aerith! Your son was just kissing that boy he's always with!"

A young Sora began to protest that it wasn't at all a kiss, but instead a deal, though a short look from his mother stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm sure they were just playing around, I'm sure. There's no need to get worked up about it," she sighed, her husband's attitude making her weary.

The two continued their argument and Sora was ordered upstairs by his father. He begrudgingly began his trip, his mother's face streaming with tears the last thing he saw before he disappeared upstairs.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[X-X-X-X-X]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"I took a girl to the mall," he continued, snapping out of his memories.

"Oh?" His mother's interest piqued at the sudden statement, "Is she cute? Did you two hit it off? Am I going to have beautiful grand babies?" she gushed at her boy, only half serious about the multitude of questions.

"It was...okay. She's a little standoffish, and we weren't really going out on a date or anything, but...then suddenly everything took a turn for the worse, and I felt like I did back then..."

"I'm sorry honey..." his mother cooed to him, moving herself over and giving him a hug, which he returned gratefully, "Not really the time, I know, but so you are...?"

"Straight?"

"I prefer the term 'ruler-edge'," his mother joked.

"I guess, I don't know. I usually don't like anyone," his mother nodded at this, "But she just seems like a fun person. I'm always telling Riku I think this girl's cute or that girl's hot, but in reality, nobody ever really seems special to me. I just do it to get him to stop nagging me," he laughed a little at the statement, imagining Riku's silver hair to be an effect of old age, his future self an old bitter woman ridiculing Sora at every turn, "I don't know...I always just wanted to spend my time with-with-" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"It's okay, honey. Don't force yourself. You know it doesn't matter to me who you love or what you do. I think you're an exceptional young man. Even if I have to be biased,' she teased.

Sora gave a gentle smile to his mother, grabbing her hand in his own when she offered it to him. He stood up, his mother giving him another reassuring smile as he headed into the kitchen.

"I just want everything to be simple," he sighed, looking for something to settle his growling stomach.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[X-X-X-X-X]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

"I hate you!" the brown haired boy yelled to the blonde at his doorstep, "I never want to see you again!"

The blonde-haired boy's already sad eyes welled up with tears, "But I thought we were-"

"No! Go away! I don't like you!" Sora abruptly closed the door in the young boy's face, the blonde rushing back to his own house a few doors away.

Sora only later found out the reason his friend had suddenly shown up. He'd come over to tell Sora his family was moving away. Only _much_ later had Sora found out the story the local newspaper was printing: a rock slide a few counties over had reportedly taken the lives of a family of four from Destiny Islands.

* * *

><p>"...my best jewelry..." a single tear dropped down a young red-head's face as she played with the crown around her neck.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Even though it started somewhere deep in my heart,<em>

_You weren't the one that had to say goodbye._

_Have you ever thought about what I sacrificed?_

_Have you ever known how much it hurt?_

* * *

><p><strong>End Note: <strong>I wonder who's mulling this over right now out there! Anyways, Chapter 5 is going to be a short one from the looks of it, but 6 or 7 should give us a good chunk of plot! I hope you all enjoy, and see you next time! 3 ~Shin-Shui~


	5. Daylight Fading

**Author's Note: **Well then! Sorry, it's been a few weeks. I got distracted with Halloween and stuff. :| Anyways, here's the next chapter, and, though it's kind of short, the next chapter should see a surge in quantity once more. Last chapter we had a mysterious end to our flashbacks...! Let's see where our story takes us!  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own anything here! Also, if you haven't read my other disclaimers by this point...I don't think you will. So let's be done here!  
>On with the story!<p>

* * *

><p>The following day, Sora awoke and decided to ignore the burning desire he'd had to text Kairi, instead choosing to focus on school work, a sure sign<br>something was bothering him. The day passed into night quicker than he had anticipated and Sora, despite wanting to ask Kairi out to a movie or other friendly activity, once again showed his distress when he passed out for the night extremely early. Dazed and confused, a sleepy Sora shot up in the break of morning, unconsciously following his daily routine, despite the sun itself having only just risen. He stripped his clothing, shivering in the unusually cold spring morning, and stepped into the hot water of the shower. Time seemed to stand still as he stood half-awake and lost in his thoughts. Before he'd realized it, he'd finished showering, dressed, and made his way downstairs for breakfast. Glancing at the clock, he'd realized he 'd spent over an hour and a half showering and changing, definitively unusual compared to his average eight minute speed run. Placing his dishes in the sink, and, despite knowing it was nowhere near time for school, Sora departed his house and began a trek around the neighborhood. He hadn't gone on a walk around town for a while, at least not since he came to terms with his dad leaving. Something about the past few days had been bugging him, though, and nothing but fresh spring air was better to clear his mind, he surmised. Wandering aimlessly, he realized he'd been following all the old paths he'd taken with his best friend when he was younger. Stopping at one of the old parks they'd loved to play at, Sora took a seat on the bench. His eyes poured over the swing set and jungle gym they'd conquered together many times, hints of memory slowly flowing into his mind.

"I wish we were still together. I never got to say I was sorry for everything I said," he spoke aloud to the faint memory playing before him, his younger self and blonde compatriot struggling to climb the metal maze faster than the other.

A warm breeze rustled his shirt, small flecks of pollen and grass making him shield his eyes as he turned away from the small playground he'd been focused on. Through disheveled hair and wind-blown eyes, he'd thought he'd seen the faint glow of red hair breezing with the wind, but when he rubbed his eyes and fixed his hair, the figure was naught but gone. Sora sighed, another bad habit he'd noticed he'd picked up lately, and glanced at his phone for the time.

"I should get heading to school," he announced to no one but his memories, standing up.

He glanced at the playground once more, another sad smile belying his features.

"I really am sorry, you know? I feel so useless, I can't do anything for you. I just feel like I should've...like I should've been the one who-" his breath hitched as he comprehended the words, "Like I should've have been the one to die."

The smile faded just as a cloud passed by the sun, shading him darkness. He turned away from the playground, his feet scuffing the sidewalk as he trudged along.

And behind the side of the playground's fence, a young red-head could do nothing but cry as she slowly collapsed against the wall.

* * *

><p>Our scattered memories hide,<br>Our intertwined emotions,  
>Because there are words that I wanted to say to you.<br>Cause if I find love's a lie,  
>Then I'll become a puppet,<br>And I'll be as useless as this song I'm singing.

* * *

><p><strong>End Note:<strong> Ah mah gersh! Well, hopefully you all like it despite it being such a short chapter. :( Anyways, special shout-out to XionTheBlackRose for reading and reviewing every chapter! It's super cool and I really appreciate it! Thanks for sticking in there with me. Anyways, gonna go and get some more writing done for you all! See ya's soon!


	6. Unlocking the Mystery

**Author's Note: **Well then! Sorry for the long absence folks! It's been a heck of a time what with holiday season and all that. Sorry. :( I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait, and especially for the short chapter last time! I hope you're all excited to see another chapter pop up! :D

**Disclaimer: **I have no words. I told you already. :|

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Sora hated the fact that his week had ended already. His mind was already half-preoccupied with the red head he had been certain was now avoiding him, and, he rightfully surmised, he didn't need another free seven or eight hours to think about her. He contemplated texting her, though he knew the response he'd get, or rather lack thereof, was a recipe for disaster. Instead, he took to kicking his feet into the ground with each step, watching the small bits of dirt and trash littering the high-school floors get kicked up with each motion. As he continued his janitorial motions, his attention drifted fully away from his surroundings, his carelessness landing him directly into a wall.<p>

"Oww, stupid wa-" the wall's face looked slightly amused, but overall confused-wait, walls didn't have-

"Sleep-walking, Sora?" the red-headed wall giggled at him, which, Sora gathered upon closer inspection, was actually Kairi.

"K-Kairi!?" Sora jumped a little.

"You look like you see a ghost, Sora," she continued her small giggle as the boy reeled himself back firmly into reality.

"I, it's uhm...you just...We haven't really spoken since the weekend and stuff," the brunette grimaced to himself, chastising his use of the word 'stuff' as his being a moron.

"Yeah, I've been, like, super busy and _stuff_," the girl leveled her eyes at him, a small smirk curling its way into the corner of her lip.

"Ha-ha," Sora stuck his tongue out.

"Anyways, I have a little bit of homework, but you want to come over and study with me this weekend?" Kairi noticed the boy's eyes grow wide, "As FRIENDS," her look narrowed.

"O-Of course!" Sora hastily shook his head, his cheeks tinged pink, "I'll text you tomorrow, then!" Sora rushed off, too excited to wait for a goodbye.

The next 24 hours were nearly too much for Sora to handle. He didn't much like studying, but the prospect of getting to see Kairi more excited him like he'd almost never been. Had Sora not valued the sanctity of sleep, he most likely would have spent all hours of the night gushing over his crush, but he swore to himself that never man nor woman nor beast would ever stop him from achieving as much sleep as he wanted as he thusly fell asleep.

The next morning, Sora quickly groomed himself as he prepared to see Kairi. Unfortunately, though his initial text was sent to the girl rather early, Kairi hadn't responded until a little past noon.

'Hey, I had to clean a little. You can come over whenever. :)'

Sora reasoned that a smiley was always a good thing, and rushed out the door as fast as his legs allowed him. He arrived at Kairi's house a few minutes later, parking right outside the home and politely knocking on the door. He'd briefly contemplated getting flowers on his way over, though Kairi's stern words, and his own savings, had prevented a real idea from blossoming.

"Uh, hi," Sora greeted the man at the door nervously, "I'm Sora. I'm here to see Kairi?"

"Kai-" the man had begun shouting before he quickly turned back to the door, a quirky young boy slightly avoiding eye contact and blushing as the man scanned him over, "Sora, you said?" the brunette responded by nodding his head, an intrigued look appearing on the man's face as he contemplated something for a moment. He looked away, shrugging, and called Kairi once more.

"Kairi!-Sora-is here!" the man notably paused when saying the boy's name, welcoming the youth into the home as he headed back to his previous business. He stopped in the threshold of the kitchen doorway and turned to look at Sora.

"I'm not the over-bearing protective father type, but...Kairi's heart was-"

"SORA!" Kairi shouted over her father, tossing the man a stern face as she descended the stairs, almost royally in Sora's eyes.

Kairi's father sighed, making his way back to his former business once more.

"Hi, Kairi! Nice to see you again lovely madam," Sora bowed onto one knee, taking Kairi's hand and kissing it as she approached him.

"Sora!" Kairi blushed, pulling all of her limbs back to their appropriate locations - NOT touching Sora's lips

"Sorry, sorry," he offered a goofy smile, "You know me, I'm a real idiot," his grin widened as Kairi couldn't help but begin giggling.

"I had a bit more work to do than I remembered, so I don't think we'll get around to playing any video games today," Kairi frowned as Sora's grin fell slightly.

"Oh! Woe is me! I better just head home then, I mean seriously. What is this, you invite me to your house and then I can't use all of your stuff?" Sora gave the red-head a toothy grin, "It's fine. We can just do our work and talk. I never really get to talk about things anyway; Riku is kind of overbearing with his presence. When he wants to do something, you do it."

"Sounds scary," Kairi shuddered.

"Eh, it's nothing weird. Just Riku being the tool that he is," Sora flashed a bright smile that nearly blinded the unexpecting Kairi.

"Whoa, dude," Kairi covered her eyes, "watch where you're showing those things," she nudged him in the arm playfully, and he couldn't help but blush.

The two made their way upstairs, Kairi explaining various locales and points of interest in the somewhat antique house that her family owned. Emergency exits and bathrooms were pointed out in case of, as Kairi explained it, 'well...emergencies.' She apologized profusely for forgetting to print up the blueprints, begging mercy that she needed her job to support her three children and two dogs.

"Hmmm...I'll make an exception-THIS TIME. But next mistake and your head is skewered," boss-man Sora laughed with his chest puffed out, the two giggling at the joke as the facade broke down.

"This is my room," Kairi explained, opening the door with a gentle push.

Sora swore, in his mind at the very least, that it was one of those moments that the person pushes open the door and everything looks perfect and the curtains are gently fluttering in the wind that you swore wasn't actually happening outside but that made its appearance just for this beautiful unveiling, the wind carrying a gently scent of something flowery or sweet to entice you to enter this newly discovered location, a slight glitter and sparkle showing off the sheer pristine beauty of the room you suddenly need to enter.

"Sorry if it's a mess, still," Kairi apologized with a nervous smile.

"No, it's really..." he looked around. His illusion of a perfect room was shattered upon entering, but he still had to admit it was really clean and homey. Plus, the added bonus of not being in Riku's pig-pen of a bedroom was an even better prospect, "It's really great."

Kairi blushed slightly at the compliment, grabbing her books out of her backpack.

Sora took his backpack off one arm and let it fall to the ground, plopping down next to it as Kairi made her way over. The two began immediately working, making their way through the various assignments they'd been given.

"You were planning to eat dinner here, right?" Kairi asked, looking up from a History textbook.

"Uhm, if it's not too imposing of me..." Sora smiled slightly at the thought of sharing a meal with Kairi's family.

"It's okay. I wasn't sure what time we'd be done so I asked my parents to make enough for you too," she smiled back at the boy.

The two continued back on their work, small exchanges occurring in between problems they were solving. Before they'd realized it, a few hours had passed and the sky was beginning to turn a beautiful orange.

"I'm almost done with my work," Sora began, challenging Kairi with a teasing tone. "Well I only need to finish these three math problems and I'll be finished," Kairi responded back to him, "Let's make it a contest. The first one to finish gets to ask the loser any question they want, and the loser has to answer it."

Sora's eyes lit up, some of the many questions he had about Kairi flooding through his mind as he accepted the challenge, "Alright. First one to finish gets a no-holds barred question answered," the two shook, and immediately dove into their textbooks to finish their work.

Their pencils flew across the page, Kairi's fingers swiftly tapping buttons on her calculator as Sora searched his textbook for the scientific formulas he needed to use. The race seemed desperately close as the two peered up at one another every few moments to ensure they hadn't lost yet. Sora's pencil stopped for a moment, and Kairi's heart skipped a few beats, her pencil speeding down the page with even more gusto than before. Sora's hand began moving once more and she breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't lost. Just as Kairi finished and put down her pencil, Sora repeated the motion. She quickly claimed her victory shouting, "Done!" just as Sora opened his mouth to do the same. He grumbled, Kairi getting up and doing a victory dance around her room.

"Alright, alright, alright," Sora waved Kairi down with both his hands, "you won, don't brag about it, you butt. What did you want to ask me?"

Kairi sat back down across from Sora where she'd been, her face puzzled as she contemplated what to ask, "Hmmm. I don't know. I might just put this in my pocket and save it for a rainy day."

"What? That's not fair," Sora pouted, "There's supposed to be a lightning deal expiration on these things! Besides, I have a few things I wanted to ask you immediately," Sora picked up his pencil and drew randomly on the side of his paper as Kairi talked.

"I don't know. You're actually pretty forward with me, Sora. It's really neat having someone so honest to talk to."

'Definitely a lot more forward than I am with you...' Kairi thought to herself.

"And what do you mean you have a few things you want to ask me? Am I really so mysterious?" Kairi almost wondered the question to herself. Maybe she wasn't as good at concealing things as she thought.

"Well, like...you know...you never did tell me why you were at that bar, anyways, for example..." Sora looked up from the scribbling he'd been doing on his work, tilting his head slightly at Kairi, "I mean, I know we both kind of said we were forced along, but I didn't want to be there because I usually just never find anyone interesting."

"I...I told you. My friend forced me to come along, I'm not looking for a relationshi-wait. You said find _anyone_ interesting," Kairi reasoned slowly her eyes looking Sora up and down.

"Yes..." Sora responded equally hesitantly, his brows raised as he mulled the thought over.

"Well then, Mr. Knight," Kairi smirked slightly to herself at the nickname, "-and you can count this as my no-holds barred question-I have to level one of two things with you. Based on what you just said, you either a.) Don't find me interesting, which I can't believe to be true at all, considering the puppy dog look you're giving me right now," Sora looked away, attempting to hide his face and his embarrassment, "Or, when you say 'anyone', you mean...anyone."

The brunette continued looking away for a moment.

"I think you're just looking a little too far into what I said, I just mean..."

"Sora, be honest, are you into..." Kairi trailed off rolling her hands with emphasis for Sora to finish the statement.

"I don't know. Maybe. It's crossed my mind before, but I just don't like anyone. Guys, girls, anything," he pouted, somewhat embarrassed at the accusation.

As he turned his head away once more, he noticed a small white bag sitting precariously on Kairi's dresser.

"Hey, is that from the jewelry shop we went to the other day?"

Kairi's bombardment of questions suddenly ended as she remembered she'd left it out, "Oh, uhm...yeah. I guess it is," she reasoned without much thought, an excuse trying to form in her mind as she quickly stood up to try and grab it.

Sora quickly-er got up and nabbed the bag, heading back over to where the two had been sitting and opening it like a child on Christmas Day. Inside was a box much like the one that had contained the crown he had bought for Kairi, but instead the box held a small silver key.

"Kairi...did you buy this for me the other day?" Sora intently stared at the small piece of jewelry.

"Uh...yeah...I guess I did," she smiled nervously, "I was going to give it to you, but it seemed really weird, and then you gave me the crown and it was a lot for me to handle, and I guess I just got nervous and never gave it to you."

"I guess I kind of stole the spotlight and whatever," Sora said in almost a whisper, But...I really, really like it! Would it be alright if I...uhm...had it now?" the boy asked in what almost sounded like a plead to Kairi.

Not wanting to upset the boy, she managed a small smile and nodded, "Yeah."

The boy looked overjoyed as he took the small silver clasp and brought it behind his neck, turning away from the girl as he let the chain fall.

"Can you put it on me?" he asked her.

Trembling, Kairi's hands made their way to the boy's neck, gently gripping the silver chain as she hooked it together. A small tap letting him know she was finished, Sora turned back to face Kairi as he looked into her eyes.

"Thank you, Kairi. I...I really love it," his voice dropping to a whisper once more.

The two continued staring at one another, Kairi nervously biting on her lower lip as Sora's breath hitched. Unconsciously, they began to move closer and closer to one another. Their eyes lidded over, fluttering shut as their faces inched nearer and nearer, their lips trembling as emotions overcame them. Just as their lips were about to meet, Kairi's door suddenly flew open.

"Kairi! Sor-ah," Namine's broad smile faded as she saw the two youths staring back like a pair of deer caught in headlights, "I...should've knocked. Dinner is, uhm, ready," she coughed, rushing back down the stairs almost as fast as she had arrived.

Kairi snapped out of her daze, shooting up and gesturing Sora to follow.

"Let's...let's...let's..." the words escaped her as she rushed down the stairs, joining her family for dinner as they all gathered around the table.

* * *

><p><em>Our intertwined emotions,<em>

_Dispel all our illusions,_

_In a world I was never meant to meet you in._

_I know that I can't stop it,_

_I know that I don't want to,_

_If you just kiss me then it will solve everything!_

* * *

><p><strong>End Note: <strong>Hoooooooooooooosnap. They almost kissed. Dayum. You a playah, Sora. You a playah.  
>In all seriousness, I hope you all liked the chapter! Sorry again it took me so long to post, but I'll try and get the next chapter up in a week or so! In the meantime, keep racking those brains and trying to figure out Kairi's secret. Until next time, have a great one! ~Shin-Shui~<p> 


End file.
